Monthly Archives: May 2013

I’ve seen a lot of school reform in the past 25 years. I started my career in education policy. It had a lot of sex appeal for a young idealist because in the early 90s when we were just beginning to talk about public education as the new frontier for civil rights—the idea that fixing our schools could be the catalyst for social change. Public education was our best chance to end poverty and propel our democracy. My first job was in Chicago and I learned a lot about the politics of urban school reform. Not much about the schools themselves, but an awful lot about power and money.

After Chicago I spent four years working for the New Mexico Legislature. It was perfect for me—a job in my home state where I could bring my analytical skills to benefit my own community. I loved it because when you’re a policy analyst for the legislature, you learn about the bottom line and what 27 year-old doesn’t love knowing the bottom line? How much does it cost and what’s the evidence that it worked? It’s the view of a skeptic who isn’t swayed by anecdotes or personal stories.

Here’s a snapshot of educational performance in our state since the time I did policy work: Continue reading…

Its been a long time since I’ve thought about my own primary and secondary educational experience. However, it all came back during a three day period at Eagle Rock School and Professional Development Center in Estes Park, Colorado.

Since becoming a high school teacher in 2004, I’ve followed Eagle Rock because of their innovative approach towards education. With my return to the educational field through Noble Institute, I knew Eagle Rock was a place I needed to visit…to get a grasp of what’s new in high school curriculum. Especially because of their commitment to infusing public service across all aspects of their approach.

So, I arrived on a Monday morning and the agenda for my three day stay was masterfully planned by Dan Condon, Associate Director of the Professional Development Center. In all reality, he framed my stay as a student and put me in situations that allowed me to see, hear, and feel their approach. I gained significant insight to their innovative teaching strategies that resulted in high level student engagement.

Their campus and facilities are awesome, but the best part was getting to know the students. A big portion of my visit was engaging with them, watching their interactions with teachers, and being part of the culture. I even got to play basketball (my favorite sport) with some of them one evening!

It didn’t take long to understand that the Eagle Rock education approach was student driven. In fact, the curriculum is constantly changing, with new titles to courses being pitched to the students every 5-10 weeks. Not only is that good for the students but it’s equally as challenging to the teachers. This approach allows the teachable content to stay real and relevant, which keeps the students engaged.

Throughout each day, I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with great instructors about pedagogy, philosophies, and purpose. I was also included in a faculty instructional meeting where they provided each other feedback on possible upcoming courses to be offered.

All this was made possible through the Professional Development Center and I knew by the second day that it would be a great partnership for Noble Institute. The mission of their work is vital to challenging the status quo on the way we teach at a high school level…or the way we “should” teach.

The experience was awesome and it made me realize that I was never really engaged as a student until I went to get my masters degree at the Clinton School of Public Service. It was there that I became engaged with the process because it was real and relevant, purposeful and passionate…which should be the same model for high schools.

As one of the students told me in passing, “School didn’t do anything for me until I came to Eagle Rock.”

Eagle Rock – a non-profit initiative of the American Honda Motor Company – is both a school for high school age students and a professional development center for educators. The school is a year-round, residential, and full-scholarship school that enrolls young people ages 15-17 from around the United States in an innovative learning program with national recognition. The Professional Development Center works with educators from around the country who wish to study how to re-engage, retain and graduate students. The center provides consulting services at school sites and host educators who study and learn from Eagle Rock practices. For more information please visit www.eaglerockschool.org and check us out on Twitter @eaglerockschool and on Facebook at facebook.com/EagleRockSchool.